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话别 (huà bié) — to say farewell; to exchange parting words

Definition

话别 (huà bié) is a separable verb meaning to exchange farewell words before parting. Insert objects/quantities between 话 and 别 (话了一个钟头的别).

verb
to say farewellto exchange parting words

Examples

  • ，话别，。
    Huì yì jié shù hòu, dà jiā hù xiāng huà bié, yī yī bù shě.
    After the meeting ended, everyone said their farewells to each other, reluctant to part.
  • 。
    Tā zài jī chǎng hé nǚ péng you huà le yí gè zhōng tóu de bié.
    He said goodbye to his girlfriend at the airport for an hour.
  • 话别，。
    huà bié Zhī hòu, tā zhuǎn shēn zǒu jìn le jiǎn piào kǒu.
    After saying goodbye, she turned and walked into the boarding gate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

话huàsay
别biéparting

话 is talking or saying, and 别 is parting, giving the idea of saying farewell.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →
Appears in
Greetings & Politeness

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